The Sin For Him
by Zephyrsword
Summary: The prequel to 'The Night the Hex Fell'. Servant Saber is missing and it's up to Shirou to find out where she's been taken. Who better to ask than the Garan no Do agency to help track her down and solve the mystery behind a man and the creation of 'Hex Gates'.
1. Chapter 1 - The Parasite Beholder

**Forenotes**

The original work can be viewed at my DeviantART page, DeadlyObsession.

This story contains characters from alternate universes and my own original universe. I will describe them to the best of my ability. That said, I really hope you enjoy what I've written here.

_"The Sin for him,_  
_Desire Within,_  
_Desire Within,"_

_~Nightwish_

* * *

A white cylindrical dizzying space that reaches up and inevitably grabs the heaven. Move. Move. Move. The maidens arms were bound by rusty silver rings; they had seen their wear on multiple victims before. They were like snapping gators that simply wouldn't let go; connected by some visual light that behaved akin to silver chains. Despite looking like ruby light and air, pulling them away and breaking free from the sleek wall behind was entirely impossible. Beneath the royal blue cuffs with dainty white frayed edging, wrists had become sore with the rubbing against the metal.

"All this Prana... And I can't even flee this place," The female gently uttered to herself from her soft lips. Her eyes no longer were fired up with passion as they once did before. Her pale saffron hair that had once been neatly tied together now scragged aside her face.

Then, more light leaked, this time from directly in front of her. A door slid open; teasing her escape, shining a white light on her dirtied, once proud corset and gown. A man stood. His face was indistinguishable because he faced away from the light pouring from the open doorway. Curly hair and some kind of long coat as all that could be seen. "You cannot escape because-"

"-She's composed of mostly Mana right?" A red haired woman with rectangular spectacles spoke. She had a cigarette in her mouth; the way she sat at her desk made her appear like some kind of poor employee's boss.

"That's right," The orange haired boy seemed distressed.

"Then she won't be able to leave easily. She was your servant in the Holy Grail Wars; a noble spirit of the great King Arturia Pendragon. Prana- or Mana is much like water. Much like water, it flows endlessly and is mostly pure and transparent," The red haired woman stood up and placed her hands on her cluttered desk "But also Shirou, like water Prana can be contained in a jar,"

The boy clutched his arm and pulled it forward in a determined pose "That seems simple enough. We just have to break the 'jar' containing this Saber, right... um...?"

The woman sighed. "Touko Aozaki. It's really not that simple, but I have put it in context for you." She stunted out her cigarette in the crystal ashtray on the desk and stood, folding her arms. "However, you're right. The jar you speak of can be quite easily broken. Usually it would take a considerable quantity of magical ability to break it, but I have another way."

"And that is?"

The room hung silent for a while. All but the noise of the fan above their heads swooshed around and round. It was then, a noise could be heard as an oak door aside of Shirou opened with a creak. Within, a pair of glowing eyes were first seen a bright blue. They quickly faded soon after and a strange female emerged. Her hair was shoulder length, beyond neat. Her face was plain, but delicate. Her eyes vacant, but clearly staring directly at him. However, her attire was surprisingly different, she wore a navy-blue kimono that made her appear much less daunting than Shirou first made out.

"This is Shiki Ryougi," Touko introduced the girl.

Shirou smiled at the the girl "Hey there! Ryougi!" The girl didn't react for a while, she still looked at Touko.

"I don't even know you," Shiki coldly scolded.  
Shirou felt immediately unwelcome, and slightly shunned, like that one child in the park that was told he could not play with the rest of the group. Touko laughed it off "Don't worry, she's like that to a lot of people."

"Is this who will help us rescue Saber?" Shirou asked. He seemed daunted, because he didn't know how this strange person would help out in this case let alone even begin to co-operate.

"Yes. This girl- no, woman here is special," Touko have to revise her words quickly as she spoke getting a silence reprimand from the cold Shiki. "She has what is called 'The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception,"

_"Mystic Eyes of Death huh? That would certainly explain those strange eyes I saw earlier,"_ Shirou was still somewhat haunted by the inhumanity of them. Touko continued after she let the words sink in a little. "The Mystic Eyes of Death is a rare ability that allows one to see the death in all things."  
It was then Shiki's eyes began to light up again, turning from a vacant brown to a wildfire of blue flame. As she looked at Shirou strange orange-red lines flashed all over Shirou's body and began to distort as if she was watching him being chopped up.

"If she were to cut those lines she saw right now, you would not only be dead but it would be permanent and irreversible. But 'killing' people is not the only thing the Mystic Eyes are capable of. For they can destroy magic created by a Magus too,"

"In that case, what are we waiting for?" Shirou replied back "We need to go save Saber!"  
"Fine then," Touko sighed. "But I'm coming with you,"  
Shiki looked back at Touko and deactivated her eyes. Oddly, she actually looked concerned. "Touko..."

"I've got a few things I need to find out for myself. Don't worry, if I die, I can just replace my body with one of my puppets!" Touko laughed.

The boy didn't find it all too funny. Real lives were still at stake here. He didn't want any of them to die, because of him. However, he couldn't sit idly by. He had to do everything in his power to save her.

* * *

"So sweet to hear you've decided on your role. But I'm afraid I have my own role to fulfill," The man's face was still dark but now uncomfortably close to the knight. His long nose and glasses were intrusive to her personal space, but there was little she could go. It was a shame. A pitiful shame that her beautiful sword, the Excalibur was across the room out of her reach, along with the still glittering Armour pieces that she owned.

"What a sickening creature. I suppose gentle persuasion will not simply wave you," Saber barked, forcing the man to step back.

The man seemed surprised at her resilience but quickly gave a sadistic grin "Call me Edge dear,"  
He turned and quickly exited the room, the door closing behind him, the presence of silence quickly following.

"If only I could undo these bonds..." The knight tilted her head upwards and looked towards the white void in the sky.

Click. Click. It was sudden, but somehow the chains on her wrists both loosened and she fell to the ground in a slump. It was like her wish had been suddenly granted. As she pulled herself up she rubbed her wrists to ease the sores that had been generated by the silver bindings. Her first priority was to move towards her equipment across the other side of the room. She didn't have much time. Gauntlets, Shoes, Breastplate. Check. It was then she grasped beautiful gold and blue Excalibur within her hands. It felt nostalgic. Then her eyes turned more serious. Clutching the sword with both hands, it began to glow furiously.

"EXCALIBUR!" She cried as the blade cleanly slices with a gold light, decimating the door in front of her with some sheer force. Immediately behind the door, some distance away was a face she didn't want to see... Edge. She ran foot-forward towards him, sword held high ready to cut him into two.

A black creature at the corner of the eye.

Stopped. Like a block of ice, Saber had frozen still, her hand reaching out for Edge. The man still smiled. Something was off. A worryingly cold sensation of movement was on her back. As one eye slanted downwards to see. It was like something pulled from the Niflheim itself. A purple tendril broke lose from her back. She immediately grabbed it with her free hand and pulled fast. However it wouldn't move. In fact, it was invading yet further. With a brutal pull, Saber completely tore off the tendril and observed in her gauntlet. Tarnished in purple blood, the tendril still wiggled as it it were alive, oozing blood. The sickening sight completely distracted her from Edge, who she now looked towards.

"W-what the... what in manner of name is this demon-"Saber gave out a sharp cry as it crawled into her back further, easily penetrating the armour, unable to do anything.

"This entire time an Eyerus was attached to your body. You only noticed it just now because the bright lighting forcefully revealed itself to you. You can't simply kill Yggdrasil by snapping off merely one root it drinks from,"

"Just... just what do you plan to do," Saber clutched her sword to prevent herself from falling down. The knights eyesight jumped several times causing some disorientation, as the body began to reject the foreign creature.

"Not much at first. But it will eventually unlock what is known as the 'True Origin' within your very being."

* * *

"Origin?" Shirou asked to Shiki as they observed a tower on the hill in the dusk of night.  
Ryougi turned away a little, not seeming to inclined to answer, but somehow managed to anyway.  
"The Origin is the center of a living being, the core thing that is there when people are born. It's purpose varies in each case."

"Lio Shirazumi*," Touko spoke "That's one example of someone who had his Origin unlocked. Each has a name and a purpose; his was 'Consumption'. He not only murdered but consumed them whole as well. He was creating a drug to unlock others Origin's," Touko explained. "However, there is what is called the 'True Origin' and that is on a whole different level. There are sayings that it's the ancient line of code for the creation of gods,"

"This is relevant because I think that is what that man there is trying to achieve,"

Touko seemed to know the man that resided in that tower, which made Shirou even more curious. "True Origin", the ancient line of code for the creation of gods, but fairy stories aside it sounds like an area that many would be interested in studying.

***Villan from the Kara no Kyoukai novels-**

* * *

Saber was still powerless. Edge now chose this time to act and threw a red stone towards the knight. The stone landed on her chest, unable to parry and it flashed a brillant white. Within moments, she felt something heavy begin to weigh her down. There was some resistance, she tried to push the anklet that had formed around her neck.

Edge began singing to himself in some poetic tone; it reminded her of the dark songs of Edgar Allan Poe.  
"To Paradise,  
With Pleasure Haunted,  
Haunted by Fear... Ahem. Excuse me. It is a necessary device that will allow me to control the flow of mana when it goes out of control. Eventually that Eyerus that crawled into you will destroy your brain. You don't have much time left, a single day maybe." Edge stepped back and quickly exited the vast room.

"No, this is a dream... a fantasy created by my slumber under the oak my mortality slipped away at..." Saber shook her head and tried to pretend as if nothing had occurred and ran for the door. But then suddenly, her body collapsed onto the floor. As she regained her senses, she slowly pulled herself up. As soon as her eyes hit the silver reflection of her gauntlet, she stopped like a figure locked in time. One devilish eye looked back towards her, the other was of familiar green kin. She knew as much she had not inflicted damage in her eyes and shut one to check if it was still functioning. Indeed it was. As she finally rose back up, the pain of glass adjacent confirmed her fears. She observed closely and the left eye began to swirl and become slinted to match the right. "Is the creature inside me affecting my form as a servant?"  
It was then there was yet more hell, more nihilism as the Eyerus began to merge fully within her body. Pressure. Pressure. Remove. Go. There was pressure against the silver gauntlets now. She quickly removed them, but not before three sinister spines emerged from the elbows. Now, there was no doubt.

No doubt. There was no doubt.

This Eyerus was dangerous. "How much longer till it will destroy my mind?" If this man, Edge, was wising up to his words, then time was short.

**No.**

No. She knew her pride was more than that. If Edge plans for wicked deeds, then she should at least die with some dignity remaining. Not only that, but if he planned to use her against others, then his plan would be for naught. She reached for her sword, the Excalibur but found herself fighting against her own being and the creature within her. The cloth at the hem on the arm began to gently part ways and she could feel the structure being altered. In an effort to slow the mana flow, she clutched her right arm, significantly slow it down only sacrificing her other arm in the process. Ignoring it, she focused her grip in the blade. She lifted it upwards and looked at it for a moment, held high and proud.

A tear formed at her eye. "I can feel your pain too, Excalibur. You too are crying inside,"  
Saber's eyes lay with the sword in her hand before her consciousness fade and collapsed to the ground.

Some time passed. A voice called out, muffled by a blockade of sometime. A masculine siren constantly called her name. "Saber! Saber!"

"Who is that person?" Arturia weakly muttered within her thoughts. The mind wandered, she could not recall the name of the familiar voice.

Then...

"Trace... On!"

It was then those words surged a remembrance and caused her to rise up quickly... not before a jolt of pain paused her midway. "Shirou!" It was then she realized that the dream was no longer reality, her body had still been altered by the Eyerus and did not move how it originally intended to.

The doorway separating her and the other man was cut clean by a similarly gold blade, similar to the Excalibur, but much more detailed.

"Good job Shirou!" Touko was impressed by him ability to conjure a mythical weapon from thin air and use it to slash the door in two.  
The vacant eyes of Ryougi Shiki's seemed to widen as the greeted Saber indirectly, filled with some sudden concern, despite her facial expression remaining the same. " You're not human... are you?" Shiki's eyes began to glow a fiery blue hue once more. "I can't see... all the lines on this one,"

Touko placed her hand on her chin "It seems someone has already attempted to unlock your True Origin," She knelt down and observed the rugged blue texture of her arm. "Yep. I couldn't even replicate this on my dolls,"

"A..a creature, some kind of fiend crawled within me. And I..." The once proud knight turned away from Touko's gaze, refusing to accept the appendage as her own.

"Is there anything we can do to stop this?" Shirou asked in concern. He was utterly horrified. It was such pain to him to see her in such a way and imagined that it felt for her a million more.

"Not that I know of," Touko wondered. It was then Saber closed her eyes and struggled to stand up. It was difficult to remain balanced without falling over as the knee joints had shifted forward somewhat. She then lost composure again and fell against Shirou's chest. She placed her cold-blooded, inhuman hands around him. The nails dug into his snow-white shirt a little, but he didn't mind.

As he embraced her, she spoke, tucked in his arms. "Shirou, please listen to me. I have something I must ask of you," She placed heavy emphasis on the last sentence.  
"What is it? You can have whatever you want, Saber," Shirou placed one hand around her and the other on the hair on her head. No matter what he did, she still felt cold.  
It was then she whispered quietly to him and Shirou stopped moving entirely.

"Please... kill me,"

Shirou pushed away from her. He didn't know what to say. He hung there in limbo, unknowing what to do.

"You heard what I said Shirou," Saber shouted back this time in anger "Kill me. Slay me. That is an order!-" Her words were cut short as she grasped her head in pain and crouched down; even the steel willed Ryougi Shiki was disturbed by this.

"You heard what she said Shirou," Touko broke the wailing of pain with her soft words. She seemed a bit more serious for once. "It would be too cruel to allow this to continue to a companion of yours,"

"But we came too far to...-"

"Listen Shirou, she's beyond saving. Unfortunately we don't know enough about this True Origin business to be able to do anything. And if we don't act quickly, all the lines of death with disappear and she'll become unkillable,"

"We don't know that Touko! There could still be a way!"

Touko sighed. "And I thought Shiki was heartless!" She gave a strange sort of laugh and then made a joking but serious grin.  
Shiki pulled a dagger nestling in the back of her Kimono's bonds. "You don't need to tell me what to do!" the vacant killer raced forward with Mystic Eyes fully lit; aiming for the remaining lines. As she throw forward her knife, it was immediately parried by an uncuttable object. Ryougi jumped back to prevent initial retaliation. An eerie carapace skull looked back towards her. The carapace had not yet generated over the left eye, but the right eye hidden in shadow looked menacing to behold.

"Why did she parry my blow?"

Saber was confused as well. She had not wished to block, in fact, she wished for the very opposite.

"-Because puppetry should be an area you're good in Touko!"

The red headed boss turned around and saw a familiar face. White longcoat, curly mullet, long nose and glasses similar to her own.

Touko's face turned sour "You," She had expected it, but was still disgusted with his actions. "The man who practised Heresy at the mages institution and was eventually imprisoned?"

"Heresy!? You mean innovation. Touko dear, I have created the Philosophers Stone, the Eyerus, the creature that is linked to the True Origin!" The man raised both armed and cackled like one of those storybook villans.

"At least be more original about it!" Touko cackled.

It was then a figure raced quickly out into the moonlit night, loosely wielding a sword within it's claws. The anthropomorphic figure looked towards the man, her fearsome helm covering her prowess save for the top left side.

"Saber don't!" Shirou cried.

"He's not an ordinary man, he's a Magus like me too," Touko gritted her teeth.

Regardless of fate, Saber still charged. That was when Edge began to conjure a spell by painting lights with his fingers.

"This was already over before it begun,"

A black gate emerged, and a sickly black tendril smacked Saber away, disarming the blade in her arm, forcing her to hurting back flying into the building.


	2. Chapter 2 - Infection, Mutation

**Forenotes  
**

_"Origin. All living things come from a source. Where. Why. How. All souls have a singular instinct that drives them. The True Origin, however, is something far deeper, far untouched. Ryougi, Shirou and Touko race against time to discover the purpose of the 'True Origin' and it's potential threat on the world." _

* * *

Dusk to dusk, moonlit night. A man stands confidently, some kind of mad scientist from those movies. Conjuring a portal of darkness, an emerging tendril now threatened the group of three. With the boy's companion and lover sating a fate worse than death, he stands silent unknowing what to do.

Ryougi and Touko begin to move, not wanting to be on the other end of the gargantuan arm of Kraken; tarnished a crimson red. With the force of the black gates presence rupturing the wind, Shiki's kimono rustled restlessly. However, she was not about to quit. "You're... in my way,"  
She flexed her fist into a clenched position, and still holding her dagger in hand she ran towards it.

"What are you doing!?" Shirou shouted back, finally regaining his senses.

Touko merely stood and observed. The girl in blue flipped up to dodge the oncoming swipe, and rather than thrust forward her weapon, she reached out with her right hand and grabbed onto it, point blank.

Edge laughed. "What are you doing? Are you asking to be infected too?" He seemed to enjoy her fight, despite her prevailing. The tendril wrapped around the entire of her right arm and began to lift her from the ground. She looked as if she was in trouble.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Shirou proceeded to run towards and help out. It was then a hand stopped him in his tracks "Just watch," Touko worded, keenly observing Shiki's style.

The Kraken arm began to moan as Shiki's right arm clenched tighter and tighter, penetrating the skin and causing it to ooze blood that dripped onto the ground. Her eyes lit up as her Mystic Eyes activated and proceeded to cut through them with her left hand slicing them like butter. In a last effort attempt, the arm threw her away before falling apart into chunks that evaporated like kettle water as it hit the paved ground. The kimono girl rolled over and over on the ground until she finally stopped. After some time she pushed herself up.

Touko and Shirou rushed to her aid. She lay there unphased and immediately got up as if nothing was happened. As she brushed off the dirt from her kimono, Shirou noticed her right arm was moderate burnt, nearly like plastic to a flame. "Y-you're arm!" Shirou cried out.

"She's fine," Touko spoke "That creature hasn't affected her because that arm is prosthetic. Whatever toxic substance that lands there can't invade the bloodstream. I know because I made it myself after it got destroyed when she was on a mission for me,"  
Shiki didn't seem to care much for Shirou's concern.  
"However, if that thing had grabbed the wrong arm all might as well have been lost,"

"You really are the master of puppetry, I would have never of known," Shirou was surprised by her talent to replicate entire body parts. "Of course besides that it's several hundred times more solid than a regular arm and would take the foot of an elephant to crush it,"  
Without warning, Shiki's eyes activated again. It gave Shirou a shock because the threat was dead. Shirou stopped. Shiki was clearly observing something behind him. A clash of sounds writhed from behind.

Edge had been pushed to the ground. A malevolent and frightening cry ushered the landscape, the cry of something reptilian. Touko flushed her head around and stood. She took off her glasses, rubbed them for a second, and then placed them back on. "You've got to be kidding me,"  
It was like one of those movies where you had those creatures chasing you down the corridor. A small dragons lavender-bone neck laced over his body. It's head breathed heavy as it stared hell into him with crazed willow eyes. The light blue claws pushed him down to prevent movement.

"There's only three more lines." Shiki warned.

Shirou didn't even look behind him like the two women. "You've... you've gotta be kidding me right?" He started to fall into some kind of weird sadistic laugh, as if he too had fully lost it.  
"If you don't turn around and fight now you could be killed Shirou," Touko warned.  
The constant sounds freaked him out. There was no way he could do it. He place his head on the ground, wishing it would all go away.

But it didn't go away. The sounds behind him of a former knight slowly descending into mania could be heard and he would have to continue to put up with it until she finally snapped.

A black scorpion tail lashed out towards the corrupted magus. Edge smiled, despite Saber completely flooring him "Okay, enough play time," He then proceeded to snap his finger and a burst of flames completely separated the hybrid from the man.

Shirou still continued to burrow like a turtle, before the frightening sounds ceased.

"B..before I lose it..."

That familiar, yet clearly strained voice made him sit up. "Saber!" Shirou flipped around and burned her altered appearance into her mind. A dragon-like creature surrounded in frayed tatters slanted one slitted eye back towards Shirou sadly, as if she still thought dearly of him. Humanity was hardly apparent now, and it was becoming more difficult to remain sane.

"Before... I go. I have yet one wish to fulfill." The fallen knight sighed before her eyes dragged back onto the man called Edge "That is to end you, for the sake of Shirou... above all else has suffered the most from this ordeal. What you have undone to me, undone to... everyone simply cannot be forgiven, no matter what. Above all else I want to die remembering Shirou, and not die remembering the void!"

The Void.

The void rang to Shiki, making her place her chest on her heart and close her eyes.

"My origin was the Void. The nothingness in-between nothingness. If there is anything that can be undone perhaps it is my duty? Why am I thinking about this crap?"  
She visualized a familiar empty space with swirling lights. It was there, she saw herself, but she was smiling unlike her usual self.

She had seen this smiling version of herself before.

"Snap out of it, Shiki!" Touko scolded causing her to awaken.  
She stood up with some emotion in her face. She gave some odd, out of character looks at Shirou and Touko as if she'd never met them before but then adjusted herself. "Shiki, what's up with you?" As Shirou reached out, she quickly snapped into it and jumped back.

Saber charged at Edge, failing to see why she could not best him. But this felt like her last chance. If she didn't... then who knows what could happen.

"Simply running around and chasing the harbinger isn't going to solve anything." Touko spoke. "We need to find out exactly what causes the True Origin to occur. From what we know, the True Origin is activated as soon as one of those creatures he summons enters you. But where do they come from? We see him creating a portal with a similar demon inside, but we don't know where that portal is connected to, or where it leads,"

Shirou wondered. He could not keep up with Saber, and instead watched her fight back against the Magus while he easily dodged each attack with a simple movement. A glittering object caught his attention. While Shiki and Touko made their way into the terrain to go help out, Shirou was diverted to a mystical blade laying on the ground. It blade was solid silver, it's hilt a glistering gold like the sun and moon had met under a forbidden sky. He bent down. "This is her sword... the Excalibur,"  
What good would it do now? Even if he wanted to hand it to her, she would be unable to properly wield it. He lifted the surprisingly weighty object and pushed out to the hillside in a sprint. It had begun to snow and Touko stopped as she was outrun by Shiki. "Geez, I'm not used to all this running."

Edge painted the sky, and entered a set of magic Armour he had conjured, barely avoiding a fatal blow. He then grabbed onto Saber's neck and found some kind of strength to pull her down the cliff face below the hillside. Below was a crashing ocean of water that shuffled excitedly, ready to catch both of them. Ryougi was forced to stop as the battle jumped forth to a dangerous level of gravity. Within moments, the two were dragged into the depths of the ocean.

Keep running. Keep running. Shirou continued to move forward. He saw Shiki and Touko stopped, and then realized why. The pathway ended, and the cliff descended into the crashing water below. Nothing had yet emerged from the sea below. Touko then noticed the sword in Shirou's hand. As he was about to toss it in the ocean, Touko stopped him. "Wait Shirou,"  
"Is that her sword?"

"Yes, but it's pointless now right?"

The sword glistened brightly. "This sword is composed of Mana too, so why it has not also been affected by the conversions is a concern to me. In fact, no, this is actually very helpful,"

"What does it mean?"

"It means that we still have a very good chance of saving your friend without resorting to execution," Shirou was relieved.  
That was until Shiki pushed both of them back. Unfortunately, Shirou felt the end of her prosthetic arm and choked a little as he was forced down. Skeletal wings emerged from the cliff face, shadowing the three. A looming skull leered over them. They seemed vacant to his words, and instead she veered forward over them and landed across the way onto the tundra. The dragon stared toward the snow, and then slammed a claw unto it, unearthing the delicate beauty into a tarnished mess.

"Saber!" By now Shirou had grown used to what his eyes saw, despite still not fully accepting it. He moved towards her and it wasn't long until she immediately took notice. "D-don't follow me... I don't want to..."

A beat of wing, and Shirou was knocked back a little. He got up again. And carried on moving towards her.

"Just what are you doing!? I don't want to kill you...!"

"If I sit idly by and do nothing, then you'll be dead. And if you die... I may as well be dead too. I know there's a fact I can do something, so don't you worry."  
Shirou stopped and held out his sword. "Do you remember this?" He held out the golden Excalibur towards her; it twinkled sadly in the moonlight. As long as this sword remains pure, you will be fine.

"Shirou, are you forgetting that a living demon still lives within her body? I wouldn't get too attached if I were you," The voice of Edge once again emerged. A giant shadow behind formed, forcing the group to look up in woe.

Another dragon. Darker than black, like a demon from the night blocked out the moonlight enshrouding them in an eternal dusk.

Shiki activated her eyes but nothing on the dragon changed. "He has no lines of death..."

"I already awakened my True Origin long ago, lowly ones. My True Origin is named 'Night'. I can no longer avoid death.)  
A pair of slender white eyes looked down on them. "It doesn't matter!" Shirou cried back. "We'll find a way to end this!"

"Sh-shirou..." A sharp roar erected behind Shirou, and before he knew it; he was beaten to the ground. With front claw vicing him to the ground, he found he could not move as the blue dragon's lavander white head lent towards him.

Both Touko and Shiki stopped. "Dammnit, we left it way too long!" Touko sketched the air with her finger and several light missiles encircled Saber. They were quickly beaten away by the black stinger.

Shirou didn't know what to do. Without thinking, he grabbed the Excalibur and used it as a blockade to prevent her jaws getting closer. "Is she really going to kill me right here and now?" The boy shut his eyes and tried to think. Think back... to times further back.

Shirou awoke and saw a vast lake enriched with green foliage, basked in radiant sunlight. "What is this place?" He wondered to himself.  
The place was eerily quiet. It was then a figure stepped across the water, the water's frail surface remained unbroken.

"You are the person I've been waiting for," The woman's voice echoed like a spirit.  
Shirou had never seen this person before.

"I am here to give you the gift of the gods, the tears of all man, the bloodshed and victory of past, present and future,"

Victory, of the future.

Shirou knew where this was familiar. In the old myth legend of King Arthur, he was issued the sword Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake. The sword contained the victory of the future, not just the past or present.

Shirou came to his senses as he looked the aggressive dragon in the face. "That's it!" He began to push the Excalibur into the creatures jaw, pushing it back successfully with little force. He then let go of the blade and it remained their gripped in the mouth of the dragon.

The black dragon looked towards the boy in surprise. "Why haven't you finished him yet!"  
When Saber looked back to him, she leered. But her eyes were filled with nostalgia. No longer they were slitted and more humane. "Don't tell me," Edge sighed. "It's that sword?"

Touko explained as she watched the confusion unfold between Shirou and the black dragon. "That sword is untainted. Such a small creature like an Eyerus is not capable enough to override it, leaving it untouched. Within, there is an explosive quantity of mana, plenty left to sate the heroic spirit, preventing any foul games being played,"

"You failed Edge. You failed dramatically at the Mage's Institution and you failed today,"


	3. Chapter 3 - Akasha

**Forenotes**

_"The final pathway of the True Origin has been cut, yet death itself cannot. Akasha; the spiral and center of Origin itself said these words 'I can bend time and space, the very fabric of the world, if they so bear it,' The actual records of Akasha uttering these are all but lost. As the spiral of Origin continues to circulate within the void,"_

* * *

"And for what?" Edge laughed back at Touko, shunning the magus's words in a quick rejection. "As long as the lines cannot be seen, there is nothing you can do to kill me," He gave some sort of sharp, confident grin, like the Cheshire cat.

Touko didn't seem too bothered. "There is one major flaw in all of this idea of yours and somehow you've failed to notice it,"

There was some kind of intuition hanging in the air, like a thicket of smog. Somehow, Shiki knew what she was prepared to say and stepped forward. Shirou was not following and wallowed in a sea of confusion.

"The Origin didn't come from thin air. When life was created, each of us were given an Origin. Do you know which is Shiki's?"

"It's called 'Void'" Touko uttered.

Nostalgia overwhelmed the Ryougi a little, the familiar sight of blackness was not difficult to simply shun away. Two long years of coma and the entire time engulfed within it.

_"Void?"_Shirou asked.

Oddly, Edge seemed curious too, if not slightly paranoid. Touko had an inclination that he already knew. "Oh that guy, Araya Souren right? He was a monk, an accomplice of mine back in my days at the institution. He spent his entire life trying to reach the center of the Origin and understand what death really was. However, as he looked into it, he saw nothingness. A boundary of emptiness. That is known as 'Akasha'."

Touko took a breath after engaging in some exposition. She felt like some kind of storyteller. "Now what do you think you get if you put two and two together?" The red head smirked as the snow continued to fall, somehow masking her joy. It was as if she had just won in a chess match.

"You're telling me..." Edge hung his head backwards before getting defensive.

"It's time to move," Shirou spoke as both he and Ryougi lunged toward the heretic. "Trace... On!" he summoned a majestic light within his hands and within moments, the legendary Caliburn formed in his grasp.

"Shirou," That was a name he heard from someone foreign. As he turned aside him, Shiki was indeed there. He was surprised she even took notice of him all of a sudden, let a alone even worded his own name. "If you can create more than a single replica from thin air... create me some kind of sword. I don't care what it is,"

That made sense. To engage combat with such a large creature wielding a mere dagger would prove insufficient. Her right arm was already slightly damaged from earlier, and it didn't help much in either her or Touko's case if it completely fell apart. "Alright then." Shirou stopped and placed his own sword aside and visualised another weapon in his hands. Within moments, he was gripping a basic Katana. He quickly handed it to Shiki and she took it away, without even expressing a word of thanks. As he began to move, he detected some potent entity aside him. Despite clutching a golden blade within her jaws, Saber was still there aside him. She nudged him with her head from the shoulder side before giving an exceptionally cute cry. The boy then placed his hand on her head. "We'll end this quickly, trust me," He quitely spoke to her.  
Saber seemed a little sad, if not annoyed. It wasn't impossible to tell because her eyes were still glinting emerald as they had always done. "I'm supposed to be protecting you... yet I-"

"Don't worry," Shirou then parted ways. Now it was his turn to fight for a change.

It was like one of those fantasy films. The hero and heroine face off against a giant black dragon in the tundra of snow; this heretic named Edge. But the ending for this particular tale had not yet been written. Edge fought back, with some kind of black breath attack; but that was quickly barred by an incantation from Touko, standing on the sidelines not after some notable struggle. "I'll leave all the running to you guys. I can't possibly keep up,"

Shirou didn't mind. He felt he could plan out the whole thing better if he worked with Shiki. Problem was, he didn't even have a plan to begin with.

Shiki leapt up, her eyes lit bright with blue flame and despite not being able to trace the orange lines upon the demon thrust the Katana forward regardless. The cold steel touched a single ridge of scales, and flung at an angle like a glass screen. Despite the heavy pressure, his carapace could not be cracked. Ryougi was caught off-guard in mid-air and was swatted by his whip-like tail. Shirou, observing as he charged forward, changed his course of movement and instead headed for Shiki.

"Hey, are you alright?"Shirou asked.  
As he leaned over, he was quickly elbowed in the face as she shoved him aside to get up. She didn't seem at all phased by what had happened.

"If she'll let her real arm get torn off just so she can kill someone, then I doubt a small fall will phase her in the least," Touko joked "But laughs aside, this isn't going to end to well,"

That much was true. It was pretty much given now that killing it was impossible. Edge swept a wing aside in confidence.

"We have one option. Shirou, Shiki, listen up!" Touko cried "We need to somehow open the gate that Edge performed earlier,"

"Are you nuts!?" Shirou was stunted. "Last time, Shiki nearly lost her arm... again!" Touko, wanting to create that same hellish portal Edge summoned earlier? Blasphemy. The creatures in there are what he made use of for his plan!

"No. We're not going to do that this time. We need to summon Akasha," Touko replied.

"Who is Akasha again?"

Touko placed her palm on her face "I literally JUST explained that. Weren't you listening?"

"Akasha is the center of Origin. Everything this world is composed of originated from Akasha, the Void, nothing." Shiki replied.

"I think I might know how he made the portal, but it's going to take some time to summon. And with that dragon after us we won't be able to easily open it. "Shirou, you can trace weapons right?"  
"Yeah, of course I can, but how is that relevant?"  
"If I combine my powers as a Magus with your ability to duplicate weapons, we might be able to create a legitamate copy of that same portal that Edge created earlier,"

"Are you joking!?" Shirou replied.

"Now this is going to sound even more crazy, so don't scold me for this. But in order for this to work, once the portal is open; is that I need Shiki to grab the first thing in there,"

"You really are nuts! Her arm will completely burn off!"

"Nope," Touko replied "She'll be using her other arm.  
"That's... That's even worse!" Shirou snapped back "What are you hoping to achieve by doing that?"

Touko remained silent for a bit. "You're as block-headed as Edge, you know," She turned back a little. "It's just as I said, we're summoning Akasha."

Shiki stepped forward "If you really are so thick-skulled, I'll be willing to demonstrate. Touko said repeatedly that I and the Void are both one and the same. The Boundary of Emptiness. The Kara no Kyoukai. Touko wants me to awaken to my True Origin"

Shirou stopped to think a little. Had Touko lost it? His track of mind was quickly cut short by the sound of a blade greeting a hard surface. He nearly got for a moment that Saber was still out on the field, willing to fight back after all the heretic had done. "I'll keep him distracted. Go do what you need to do,"  
As the sword, the Excalibur clashed against the black Edge, it was almost like it had turned into a battle between white and black, the snow being the witness.

Our time is limited. If she drops that sword before we finish creating the portal, then we'll all be dead, no questions asked. Touko suddenly smiled and rubbed her hands together despite the obvious signs of conflict occurring in the background. "So let's get this thing together now shall we?"

Touko and Shirou stood together side by side, allowing some space for Shiki to traverse through. "I really hope you know what you're doing," Shirou responded.  
"I actually don't, but this is a ditch all-or-nothing bet," The red head continued to grin.

"Begin!"

Touko began by painting some glyphs in the air like paint to canvas. Shirou began to memorise the portal he had seen earlier. Who could forget it? The black gate swirling in deep crimson; the vile creatures that attempted to emerge from it and attack them. But now, they were so close to where it was being summoned. He wondered about all the possible worst case scenarios. But then, there was not much else he could do.

Within moments the black portal that they had witnessed earlier, created by their own enemy formed. It was taking time. Shirou still heard sounds of struggle behind as his servant fought against an unkillable enemy. And... he knew there was no way she could keep the Excalibur in possession for so long without dropping it.

Minutes passed, and the black gate emerged. Sounds of multiple creatures dwelling within could be heard. Still, the Ryougi walked forward. Confidently? That wasn't something he could be sure of, it was hard to tell. Rather than last time, she rolled up the sleeve on her right arm and quickly placed it in, with no regrets or concerns.

Touko and Shirou sighed with some relief. The portal did not noticeably burn her arm clean off, like it did to her fake arm, which was ironically five hundred times stronger. After some moments shifting through the space, it was obvious she was experiencing some kind of notable stress. It was then her hand clutched onto something wet and warm within, constantly moving, like some kind of giant worm. Despite the conflict, she pulled the foreign creature out of the portal. Touko and Shirou stepped back for their own safety.

Shiki quickly and forcefully pulled out the strange creature and held it within her hand looking up towards it. A large eye and several tendrils wiggled between her fingertips, but she seemed unwavered by it. "So... so this... is what you look like..." Shiki uttered. She dropped her arm a holding the creature by her side like a stuffed doll and shut her eyes.

"So that's what he used," Touko observed it curiously. "If I found a good container to place it in, I could experiment it on my dolls,"

"That's not the point of this is it?" Shirou shot back frustrated. He was a little paranoid that Shiki was holding the very same thing that nearly resulted in him being slain by his servant.

"Well I can safely say at this stage it hasn't done anything. Shiki, you can place it back inside now...

Shiki didn't respond.

Shirou stepped forward and reached out to touch her, but Touko quickly swatted it away. "Hey, Shiki, get it together!"

Shiki didn't respond.

This was a bit worrying now. She just hung there, in limbo holding the extremely infectious creature quite blatantly in her authentic hand.

Shiki opened her eyes and looked back at Touko, then towards Shirou.

"Oh... It's you two again," She worded. "Sure, I'll place this thing back in the portal."  
The small Eyerus was effortlessly placed back inside the gate. "I better close it too, to prevent the others from escaping,"  
Shiki slashed it once with the Katana and quickly destroyed it without anyone even asking.

Touko smiled now. Her grin grew wider and wider. Then she suddenly burst out laughing, unable to contain herself anymore.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Ohahaha... I'm sorry. It's just when I saw Shiki so out of character like that I couldn't help myself!"  
She continued to giggle. Shirou still seemed confused. "We just mentioned it THREE TIMES. Oh forget it." As Touko finally composed herself she turned a bit more formal "Well, I can safely say that the plan worked. Now we might just be able to kill that thing,"

"I don't get it, what's so different about Shiki now that we're able to kill it?"

"You'll see. Keep your eyes pinned on him. This is going to be something for my record books."

Shirou obeyed and kept his iris pinned on the black dragon. Despite Shiki standing there, not seeming to be doing anything, Shirou suddenly noticed an orange strip of light dart across the body of the dragon. Touko seemed excited. "Did you see that!"

"See what...?" Shirou's words were stopped when he saw another flash of orange light dart across the dragon. Now it was more visible, at least.

"Akasha has the power to bend every single living or static thing on this planet, including the ability to see the lines of death. What you and I are seeing now is what Shiki sees when the Mystic Eyes are activated,"

Then there was a clang. A sound like if a dinner plate had dropped to the floor. A golden sword flew in the air, hurtling off the cliff side into the ocean.

"Not now!" Shirou cried.

Luckily, he was not too close by when that had occurred; as the moment the sword had slipped from grasp; Saber's attack pattern changed dramatically and Edge found himself quickly overwhelmed. "Are you forgetting all that effort I put in earlier to PREVENT you attacking me!?"

Edge painted a magical glyph in the air, similar to how Touko had done earlier and he managed to avert the sudden threat from himself. Saber hung back and began to slow down. The anklet around her neck began to glow and her head slowly turned attention towards Shirou. The eyes were different now. They were similar to how they were earlier, slitted and focused. She stepped towards him, constantly eyeing him down. "Don't do this Saber!"

"This one... I want to slay it right now but I can't," Shiki (or perhaps it was better to say Akasha?) spoke "I can't because Shiki is preventing me,"  
It seemed like Shiki had some kind of care for Shirou and Saber, spoken through her Origin. "I will go destroy that one instead," Her eyes looked towards the black dragon in the distance.

Not before long, the entire sky, ground, even as far as the tower in the distance, were all under effects of the Mystic Lines of Death.

This seemed to fortunately disrupt Saber a little, affecting the mana flow.

Touko was both impressed and concerned. "Akasha had the power to manipulate every single thing on this earth and beyond that... if she was allowed to, she could eliminate the existence of humankind in one fell blow. It's a tempting thought. Considering how many evils there are in the world, how many imperfections there are in the nature itself, it would be so easy just to end it all and start anew."

Akasha held out the Katana, simply where she stood and sliced the air. Despite being a long distance away the blade connected to the lines on his body.

"However, if we choose to tackle the evils in this world, rather than running away, then there will be no need to end the world so quickly,"

Edge groaned in pain. "How can you attack me at such distance!? I'm unkillable! Are you some kind of god!?"

"I am that which connects all the Origin together by string. I am everything, yet I am also nothing," Akasha spoke, still remaining stood in her position. "I think she said something similar,"

_"She? She must be mentioning Shiki,"_

"I can kill anything, even if it is a god," Akasha began to glow with a radiant blue light, rattling the blue kimono. It was then the air was filled with a cyclone of intoxicating pressure, causing the clouds to sway.

The Katana glew bright, brighter than any light they had ever seen.

"What are you doing!?" Edge cried as he leapt forward, ready to interrupt her attack.

A single push. The dragon felt the katana enter his body with an imploding surge of light. Akasha swept the sword aside, out of the dragon's neck, spewing mana. It was then the dragon fell, not before sweeping Akasha/Shiki from her feet causing hurtling her to the side. The Mystic Death enchantment that had been affecting the landscape dwindled away.

It was then the magic on Saber's anklet dwindled. The dragon-knight now hurtled towards the black dragon like a steam train. It was then a strange red light emerged. Touko knew they were in danger. Shirou grabbed Shiki who was laying on the ground and both he and Touko ran for cover. Within moments, a massive force of red light shattered the landscape as a malevolent force connected to the failed black dragon.

As the smoke cleared, there stood a crater with a blue dragon looking down into it. While she was distracted, Shirou focused his attention on awakening Shiki. "Wake up! Shiki!"

Her eyes opened once slowly. Before blinking and opening them much faster, revealing her brown vacant eyes. She was fatigued but yet had an all too familiar irritated look on her face. She immediately sat up and looked towards the crater. "So Akasha cut that dragon in two,"

Touko smiled. "Seems like our Shiki is back!"

"She cut the True Origin from within it and completely eradicated him," She looked toward the distance, before leaping back. Touko and Shirou too turned in the same direction to inspect, and it was then the bone dragon took notice of them once more.

"Dammit, if she hits us like she did to that guy, we'll be a pile of flesh!"

Without fear Shiki had already began to rush toward it, for now she knew what she had to do. Saber charged toward her, ready to strike. The girl dodged one claw, and blocked the other with her prosthetic arm.

Touko began to utter an incantation that inflicted some kind of confusion upon the dragon, forcing it to hurtle for the cliff. Shiki ran aside it, and as soon as it decended with wings spread, she climbed upon it's back. She clutched on tight, the confusion spell quickly broke and Saber began to chase this time towards Touko. It seemed as if it were prepared to fire another pulse of red energy.

"Trace... On!"

Shirou stepped in front of Touko and used his new weapon to completely scatter the pressure. As Saber was distracted, Shiki used the time to raise her Katana above her head and then plunge it in the back of her neck. As the red energy dispersed, Shirou shouted in surprise. "Don't kill her!"

"I don't think she has much of a choice. Soon Akasha's powers will completely leave... then there will be nothing we can do," Touko spoke.

No... no way.

It was then the boss noticed the sword in Shirou's hands. There's no way you could have...  
Shirou held the Excalibur in his hands, despite the authentic one being in the bottom of the sea.

"This sword should still be able to work," The orange haired boy replied. He held it up, blade tip pointing to the ground. As Shiki continued to dig in with her sword, a black entity began to crawl out of the back of Saber. As the tendril of the nesting visitor began to emerge, Shiki grabbed it with her puppet arm. It attempted to invade, but was halted by the girl's vice grip. Her eyes flooded in blue fire and she touched the lines on the Eyerus, causing it to dissect into pieces.

Shirou looked up, astounded. Saber ceased her movements and Shiki finally lost grip, taking the sword with her, hurtling towards the face of the cliff. "Shiki!" Shirou cried as he reached out his hand towards her, as she rolled off the side. Saber turned around, still somewhat wounded by the blade and dashed towards her.

Wings were spread and the dragon decended gallantly down the face side, snatching the blue rag attached to Shiki. However, there was an imminent crash and the two landed in the deep water below. Shirou approached the cliff side and observed with concern. "Shiki! Saber!"

Without thinking, he too jumped off. But his fall was quickly disrupted by a hard surface. Within moments, his body exceeded the air and below, and overlooking view was to behold. As he looked up, he realised he was on the body of Saber's dragonic form and she looked back a little. She carried Ryougi Shiki in her mouth, who was dripping wet, and not entirely amused. Still, she was probably glad her fall was stunted. As Shirou looked onward at the sky, he saw light begin to trickle from the horizon leaking a beautiful light on the snow, creating a kind of diamond dust heaven. It was so beautiful.

The entire time Saber was traversing, silent, before gently landing. She first placed down Shiki, of whom quickly brushed herself off after being yanked and stepped aside. Shirou then felt a pull at the rough of his collar, and he found himself being drawn into the air. Saber had grabbed ahold of him, and placed the boy in front of her.

Shirou observed. As the sunlight leaked, he could see her true form. The rays reflected upon the white of clouds. In comparison, Saber appeared to tower over him. But still, he was no longer afraid. Silently, Shirou held his hands out. Saber looked down onto him, and slowly lowered her head forward, towards him.

It was not sure who touched who first. But within moments, his hand touched her head. Wings enclosed around to embrace him as the mana began to disperse. Shiki shut his eyes to think. Within moments, he felt the a strange sensation beneath his hands, before the source he was touching disappeared. He immediately shouted out. "Saber! Don't go!" He opened his eyes. First he looked to the floor. He saw nothing but the snow threaded into the grass.

"Shirou," A familiar voice spoke.

The boy traced his eyes a little further forward. His eyes met with a set of small black shoes. As he looked up, everything connected. A girl dressed in a royal blue corset-gown. Dainty, loose blonde hair. Her skin shone in the light. She slowly approached and placed her warm hands around his cold snow-bitten body "I'll never leave your side, no matter what,"

"Rather than kill the True Origin, I just killed the creature inside," Shiki spoke.  
"You really are a clever one," Touko smiled. She too, for a moment thought that Shiki had completely cut the lines.  
"It was nothing really," Shiki shrugged it off and walked away.

Touko smiled as she saw the servant and master reunited as they embraced each other. While Shiki seemed not to care, she looked back once. "I think she sees both herself and Miyaki in them," She smiled.

The sun continued to rise, and the world of snow suddenly became silent. Despite the cold air, the atmosphere was warm and heartfelt.

* * *

Three days later...

At Touko Aozaki's office, a gentle looking man dressed in black observed a strange creature in a jar as Touko worked restlessly tinkering with organic parts within a prosthetic arm. A large eye within the jar looked back at him wiggling it's vile tentacles around. The boss noticed her presence "Ah, Miyaki," Touko spoke as she concentrated "Shouldn't you be working?"

"Aha, I suppose you're right," He smiled. "I was wondering what this was?"

"It's a creature that connects the earth to the Origin of all things,"

"I see," The gentle man replied.

Touko put a metal instrument aside and looked up at him. "When you go back up to the office, tell Shiki to stop wrecking her body,"

"I'll do that!" Miyaki smiled. He knew inside what had transpired and slowly left the room, leaving Touko to her business.

"Good. Because you're the only one she'll listen to," Touko laughed.

**FIN~**

* * *

**Authors Notes:-**

**So it's finally done! This is the first story I've managed to complete for a while, and I'm proud of the results. I'm currently working on a sequel to this one, named The Night the Hex Fell. Be sure to look out for it!**

Story by DeadlyObsession, characters belong to Type-Moon and Heresy


End file.
